Explaining radical policy change: Norwegian climate policy and the ban on cultivating peatlands

For decades Norwegian climate policy has largely ignored the agricultural sector and focused on cost-effective emission reductions abroad. Yet in June 2020, Norway decided to ban the cultivation of peatlands to protect critical carbon sinks, and the issue became ‘high politics’. We explain this radical policy change by combining an adapted version of the Multiple Streams framework with the Punctuated Equilibrium model of agenda-setting. We argue that the two models combined can provide a holistic explanatory framework, albeit with two revisions. Firstly, the window of opportunity or punctuation was in our case of a longer duration than both models anticipate. Secondly, we find that multiple complete couplings can take place within the opening of a policy (or more specifically, a decision) window. Both findings can be explained by party competition, thus underlining the need to revise agenda-setting models to better account for party politics.publishedVersio

Successful treatment of severe accidental hypothermia with cardiac arrest for a long time using cardiopulmonary bypass - report of a case

Accidental hypothermia is defined as an unintentional decrease in body temperature to below 35°C, and cases in which temperatures drop below 28°C are considered severe and have a high mortality rate. This study presents the case of a 57-year-old man discovered drifting at sea who was admitted to our hospital suffering from cardiac arrest. Upon admittance, an electrocardiogram indicated asystole, and the patient's temperature was 22°C. Thirty minutes of standard CPR and external rewarming were ineffective in raising his temperature. However, although he had been in cardiac arrest for nearly 2 h, it was decided to continue resuscitation, and a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was initiated. CPB was successful in gradually rewarming the patient and restoring spontaneous circulation. After approximately 1 month of rehabilitation, the patient was subsequently discharged, displaying no neurological deficits. The successful recovery in this case suggests that CPB can be considered a useful way to treat severe hypothermia, particularly in those suffering from cardiac arrest

Transition governance for just, sustainable urban mobility: An experimental approach from Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Cities across the global are looking for structural systemic solutions to mobility related problems such as congestion, pollution, and lack of (public) space. Electrification seems to accelerate and address (local) environmental problems, but not necessarily contributes to just mobility by opening up public space, creating broader access to mobility and supporting health. In this paper we describe an experimental transition governance process in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in the context of the local climate agreement. It used transition governance to explore how the social, cultural, institutional and technological changes needed to achieve a just and sustainable mobility future could be accelerated. The politically supported but informal governance process mobilized public-private-civil networks of actors in the context of the local climate agreement to co-create a transition strategy based on zero-emissions, social and shared mobility in 2030, aiming for all vehicles left to be shared and free from tailpipe emissions. It accelerated a number of debates, actions and changes in the city and pushed local policies to further prioritize walking, cycling, sharing and public transport. Its ambitions have helped shape current formal urban spatial and mobility policies and institutional experimentation in the city, accelerated during the COVID pandemic

EUs klimaregelverk vedtatt: Hva nå for Norge?

I 2023 ble de såkalte ‘trilogforhandlingene’ mellom Europakommisjonen, Rådet og Europaparlamentet om klimaregelverket og de fleste tilhørende forslag konkluderte og regelverkene vedtatt. Disse rettsaktene er en sentral del av EUs grønne giv og politikkpakken ‘Klar for 55’. Dette er tredje og siste rapport i en serie, som forklarer utviklingen i regelverksendringene og analyserer mulige implikasjoner for Norge. Vi finner at regelverksendringene i seg selv ikke byr på radikale endringer for Norge, selv om alt ikke er like uproblematisk. Endringene presenterer både muligheter og utfordringer. Men samlet er EUs grønne giv, med dets hastighet og tverrsektorielle tilnærming, krevende for Norge. Den videre implementeringen av vedtakene i EU betyr også at ‘den regulatoriske tsunamien’ ikke har forsvunnet – og for Norge blir den bare større gitt det store etterslepet på implementeringen av EU-regelverk. Vi understreker derfor viktigheten av økt debatt og forskning omkring Norges klimasamarbeid med EU

Entering, enduring and exiting: the durability of shared mobility arrangements and habits

Car sharing could support a transition away from private vehicle ownership and use. Attempts to understand participation in car sharing have primarily focused on minor and major disruptions which catalyse change in practices. This paper examines how processes of entering, continuing or exiting car sharing systems unfold in Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Car sharing is conceptualised as an arrangement of elements assembled, adjusted and supported by events, practices and habits. Drawing on biographically-oriented household interviews, we build on and extend existing understandings of change and stability in car sharing in four ways. First, by focusing on households rather than individual users, the paper complements recent attempts to understand the decoupling of family and private-car-based mobility. Second, under-examined processes of exiting, alongside entry and continuation are considered. Third, it highlights the importance of recognising more imperceptible, gradual and continuous changes which might not necessarily coincide with a disruptive event. Fourth, habits of shared car arrangements are demonstrated to be fragile and not as deeply ingrained as those associated with ownership. Existing household practices and habits thus raise further questions about the potential for shared mobility services to disrupt the primacy of the car

Forbudet mot nydyrking av myr: Bakgrunn, effekter og utfordringer

Rapporten utforsker i hvilken grad forbudet mot nydyrking av myr vil virke etter hensikten og dermed hvilket potensial forbudet har som klimapolitisk virkemiddel. Rapporten utforsker bakgrunnen til lovforslaget og ulike aktørers syn uttrykt gjennom høringssvar og intervjuer. Det er også beregnet sannsynlige konsekvenser av forbudet på matproduksjon, økonomiske effekter for næringen og klimagassutslipp. Analysene viser at forbudet har et stort potensial som klimapolitisk virkemiddel. Potensialet underbygges av at konsekvenser for matproduksjon og økonomiske konsekvenser for bruk er relativt lave og håndterbare. Derimot viser rapporten at det er relativt høy risiko for at dette potensialet uthules i implementeringsfasen, for eksempel ved at det gis mange dispensasjoner fra forbudet. Det er derfor viktig å understreke at forbudet har et stort potensial som klimapolitisk virkemiddel som ikke nødvendigvis vil utløses. Funnene i denne rapporten kan bidra til å utløse dette potensialet.publishedVersio

Klar for 55? EUs nye klimaregelverk og betydningen for Norge

Klimaregelverket er en sentral del av ‘Klar for 55’-pakken og EUs grønne giv (European Green Deal – EGD). I denne rapporten fokuserer vi på sentrale foreslåtte endringer av dette regelverket, og mulige implikasjoner for Norge. Forslagene for kvotesystemet og innsatsfordelingsforordningen utgjør ikke radikale endringer for Norge og har relativt bred støtte. Derimot er forslaget for arealbrukssektoren mer kontroversielt. Det vil være svært krevende for Norge å nå målene for innsatsfordelingsforordningen og arealbrukssektoren. Norge bør likevel være varsom med å legge opp til mye bruk av fleksible mekanismer. Det blir viktig å følge med på det store bildet, som samspillseffekter med andre deler av EGD, hestehandler mellom land, Brexit og internasjonal politikk. EGD og det omkringliggende politiske landskapet er komplekst og utfordrer eksisterende måter å jobbe på. Vi håper denne rapporten gir et tidlig kunnskapsbidrag til debatten om- og arbeidet med EGD.publishedVersio

Resectable adenocarcinomas in the pancreatic head: the retroperitoneal resection margin is an independent prognostic factor

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease, and even after assumed margin-free pancreatoduodenectomy, most patients die within few years. The aims were to evaluate the importance of standardised histopathologic assessment for adequacy of reporting and survival estimates, and to report on prognostic factors in a setting of standardised histopathologic assessment. We performed immunohistochemical evaluation, slide review, and review of histopathologic reports from all pancreatoduodenectomies at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in 1980–2004. Reports from 1998-2004 at this institution were compared with reports from all other Norwegian institutions in the same period. Standardised histopathologic assessment and reporting was found necessary to avoid underestimation of poor prognostic factors, and to avoid misdiagnosis of tumours originating from non-pancreatic tissue (ampulla, distal bile duct, duodenum). Standardised histopathology was more important than surgical volume for completeness of reporting and for reliability of survival estimates, particularly with respect to lymph node evaluation. Immunostaining for MUC1 and MUC4 identified a subgroup of patients with particularly poor prognosis. Standardised histopathologic evaluation should be a first prerequisite to assure adequate histopathology after pancreatoduodenectomy. Immunostaining may identify tumour markers potentially targetable in future adjuvant treatments for pancreatic cancer